Posted on 02/26/2010 11:44:01 AM PST by Domandred
My wife's grandmother passed last week. As part of her personal effects is a folder containing various birth, marriage, naturalization, and other family documents.
The problem is they are from Brazil so are in Portuguese.
Even the names are confusing some of them are several names instead of just first middle last like they are in English.
Also seems that the Father took the Mother's name as one of the middle names?
Compounded this with many of them are hand written on pre-printed forms.
Any pointers would be great. Thanks.
If needed I can scan a few.
Two thoughts: Contact the Brazilian embassy/consulate. Ask for someone to help interpret the documents for you
or
Contact a language school such as Berlitz to see if someone can translate.
bfltr
What are you needing to do with them? Did she die in Brazil or the US? Are you needing to look through a will, or are you looking to contact people for her funeral?
We have a close friend that was able to get her documents for residency translated (Spanish) at a local non-profit (yeah, it also serves illegals). However, a nearby college that teaches Portuguese could also be of help. For legal items, make sure they have a notary public doing them.
I wouldn't depend on it for a "binding" translation.
Here's some info on Portuguese names. I knew the Spanish often use both the mother's and father's surnames and it looks like the Portuguese do too.
Babelfish is your friend.
Get to an LDS Family History Center:
http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/FHC/frameset_fhc.asp
If someone there can’t help you with the translation, they will know someone who will. Brazil is a big missionary destination, so the chances of finding someone close who can help are pretty good. I’ve been to many such a center and the people there are mostly very helpful, even to a Catholic like me.
She died here in the US.
Really the only thing I need to do with them is for family genealogical research. That’s where the naming convention for a family tree is causing a problem.
For US documents (her death certificate) we just need her father and mother’s name, which we entered exactly as they were on her birth certificate.
We don’t need to contact anyone as she was the last surviving of that family line that we know of besides my wife and her sister.
Further search may reveal others of course, but not mentioned in any wills or trusts so not needed for that.
On a different note, also included is my wife’s grandfathers military record.
He was with the 96th Bomb Wing in WWII
His campaigns included
Air Off Europe
Ardennes
Rhineland
Central Europe
and Normandy
He received
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
Good conduct medal
and the Bronze Star
Who?
Since your primary interest here is genealogy, Rootsweb is friend. If I were you, I’d subscribe to the Rootsweb mailing list for Brazil and post an appropriate query there. You’re bound to get help. Click here:
http://lists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/index/intl/BRA/BRAZIL.html
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